World watch

A police strike has led to widespread looting and random violence in the nation's third-largest city, Salvador. At least 115 people have been killed amid countless assaults and outbreaks of vandalism. Salvador, a center of Afro-Brazilian culture, is popular with tourists, but the chaos is casting doubts on Brazil's ability to host the World Cup in 2014. Police unrest nationally may threaten Carnival this month.

Europe

While most of Europe remained frozen from severe winter weather, some areas began to see the flip side: deadly flooding from melting snow and ice. Rivers in Bulgaria and Greece burst over their banks, leveling homes and killing at least eight people. Bulgaria's civil defense agency warned that at least two large dams were on the verge of being overwhelmed by flooding and urged people to evacuate in certain regions.

Maldives

President Mohamed Nasheed, once praised for bringing democracy to the island nation, resigned after weeks of protests ended in a police mutiny. The Maldives islands are a tropical paradise, famous for an archipelago of resorts and spas. Despite this reputation, the islands were under strict autocratic rule until 2008, when Nasheed won the country's first multiparty election. In recent years, hard-line Islamic groups have been gaining influence in distant atolls and are strengthening in Male, the capital. Add to that a significant drug problem among locals plus corruption and a disliked political class, and some experts speculate the nation could become a "tropical Afghanistan."

Panama

The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert for the Pan-American Highway in western Panama. Mining-rights disputes have turned violent between indigenous groups and Panamanian security forces. The violence has disrupted travel along the highway, and though the route remains open, protesters keep trying to block traffic. Americans are urged to avoid travel not only on that section of highway but in the entire western region.

Philippines

A magnitude-6.8 earthquake killed at least 13 people and buried many homes in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental province. The quake's epicenter was near Negros Island in the central Philippines, where it leveled buildings and caused landslides. The Philippines is along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a region infamous for deadly earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In 1990, a magnitude-7.7 earthquake killed nearly 2,000 people on the island of Luzon.

Compiled from news services and travel sources. For updates, check with the State Department at 888-407-4747, travel.state.gov